Assad told ABC that he doesn't "own" the country's security forces, dismissed the UN's estimate of the number killed, and asked for the organization to send "concrete evidence" to support allegations that Syria has committed war crimes, which he called a "distortion of reality."

Assad told ABC that he doesn't "own" the country's security forces, dismissed United Nations estimates that at least 4,000 people have died since unrest began in March, and asked for the organization to send "concrete evidence" to support allegations that Syria has committed war crimes, which he called a "distortion of reality."

The comments have provoked outrage, with politicians in France and Germany vocal in condemning what they termed a distortion of the scientific evidence that risked putting many more lives at risk in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions are living with the disease.